UPDATE:  We have just received a grant for 1/2 of this project from the Chatlos Foundation.  We are thrilled with this gift and that we can begin this project and providing funding to many of the countries for their leadership training.

GOAL

The goal of this project is to help churches of all denominations in 9 countries in Latin America to increase and improve their work and ministry to children and adolescents through leadership training of at least 750 leaders of young people.

EXPECTED IMPACT

At least 75% of the 500 churches with the Icthus ministry will be equipped with better trained leaders of young people. Some 75% of the approximately 1000 local Icthus leaders will receive this training in 9 countries during a 12-month period. New guides will be trained as well for starting the ministry in new churches. As a result the Icthus leaders (called guides) will run higher quality programs in their churches for young people ages 4 to 18. In addition, the guides will develop skills, confidence and commitment for serving and leading in other ways in their churches and communities.

RATIONAL

We strive to accomplish the mission of Icthus in several key strategic ways. One of the most important strategies is to provide quality training to the local church leaders that are carrying out ministry to young people.

The grant given to Icthus last year by the Chatlos Foundation offered us the opportunity to begin a much more intensive training program for key, frontline leaders (we call them guides) working with children and adolescents in Latin America. Almost six-hundred leaders were trained in 8 countries in important skill areas.

Most of these leaders are themselves young (ages 16 - 25), so this program reaches an emerging group of young leaders with training they might never receive. We know from our past experience that this training pays big dividends. Not only do trained guides minister better to the children, but the guides grow from this investment in their lives and do more to help in their churches and communities as well. In essence this program starts leadership training and experience at a younger age than most adult leadership training programs do. This is an important time in life. Young people this age tend to be more flexible, learn more quickly, and develop life long skills more easily.

This past year has stimulated a new understanding of the importance of doing more leadership training in all the countries. In the past, we were not able to carry on such a level of training because of a lack of funding. All who participated this last year see the need to assure that each guide has the opportunity to attend at least one if not two training workshops a year. All of the countries need additional resources to set up and run the training workshops which are usually one to three days in length. Many times they need to provide partial scholarships to guides who come from poor homes. This project seeks to provide assistance, funding and the flexibility needed in each country to meet these needs.

This project will not only increase the quality of ministry in churches with Icthus, but it will also stimulate the starting in other churches through the training of new guides.

The church in Latin America has traditionally focused most of its resources and activities on the adult half of the population. This program will help to equip churches to increase attention to the spiritual nurturing and integral formation of the younger half of the population, those 18 and younger.

METHODOLOGY

Each country will evaluate the training needs of leaders through discussions and surveys with guides and pastors. Topics will be chosen based on the highest priority needs, as decided by the national Icthus leadership.

Topics covered in past training workshops have included: Teaching Methods Jesus Used, Preparing and Leading Camps, Program Planning, Counseling Adolescents, How to tell Stories, Child Abuse and Violence in the Home, Counseling on Sex, Devotional Life of a Guide, Organizing Service Projects, Child Evangelism, Effective Team Work, How to Work Effectively with your Pastor and Church, Personal Development, Elements of Leading, Using Games to Teach.

Our office in Guatemala has prepared and is preparing new training modules that will help the countries giving them more resources to choose from. Countries may also develop their own modules and share these with others.

The amount of financial assistance awarded to each country will be based on an average of $5 per guide per day of training. These funds will supplement local funds and will be used for planning, promotion, materials, and implementation of workshops as well as to provide partial scholarships for those guides from economically restricted homes. Funds will also cover a part of the costs related to visits to churches one to three months after the workshop for follow-up training and evaluation of results.

For example, a workshop of 50 guides for a two-day workshop would be granted $500. The grants for longer or shorter workshops will be adjusted accordingly. The expense of workshops will be shared by each country through their own fund raising and guides covering their own expenses.

Plans for the training workshops will be developed by each country and presented to Icthus International for approval and funding. The application process will clarify the purpose of the training, the major skill areas the guides will learn, and how these will be measured at the workshop. Also the applications will include a budget and a plan for how the follow-up training and final evaluation will be carried out.

Reports for each workshop will be put together and be submitted to keep track of results and share lessons learned.

Icthus International in the US and Guatemala will provide technical counsel and assistance to the countries and provide overall supervision of the project to assure that it is accomplishing its intended results. Visits to 3 to 5 of the countries will be made by the project manager and / or other Icthus leaders from Latin America to provide assistance in the workshops or the follow-up / evaluation phase of the project.

The project is expected to be completed within 12 months.

BUDGET
 

Half of the funds have been received from the Chatlos Foundation.  Funding still need - $5,000.

EVALUATION

Each country will carry out an evaluation of their training workshops and submit a report to Icthus International. Lessons learned will be shared with all countries in an effort to increase the effectiveness of the training. A global overview of the results will be put together and submitted.

ARE YOU INTERESTED IN HELPING TO MAKE THIS PROJECT HAPPEN?

Would you prayerfully consider investing in a part of all of this project? Consider the tremendous impact that could make. Click on the link to find out how to make an online contribution, or write to us at Don@IcthusKids.org if you would like more information.  Thank you for your generous support.